1066: A Medieval Mosaic Exhibition at the Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock

1066: A Medieval Mosaic is a Guinness World Record-winning exhibition which has toured a number of locations in the UK before arriving at Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum (SOFO Museum), Woodstock.

The mosaic took its creator Michael A. Linton 33 years to complete after he started work on the piece in 1979. Made from 33 million individual pieces of spring steel, the mosaic now measures 64 metres long and weighs 350kg. This earned 1066: A Medieval Mosaic the title of the world’s largest steel mosaic and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The mosaic re-creates the entirety of the original Bayeux Tapestry, including the depiction of the Battle of Hastings, but also expands on it with additional historic scenes. In 2005 Michael added an 8 metre ‘Finale Section’ which depicts events leading up to the crowning of William the Conqueror on Christmas Day 1066.

In 2012, a further 22 metre section was added to cover the Battle of Fulford and the Battle of Stamford Bridge. These added scenes bring this rec-creation close to twice the length of the real Bayeux Tapestry.

To coincide with arrival of the mosaic, SOFO Museum will also hold a mini-exhibition of objects that tell the story of WW2 as the Bayeux tapestry does for the Norman Conquest. Visitors will be able to see these objects on display until February 2019.

1066: A Medieval Mosaic will be on display from 5th September 2018 to 1st February 2019, throughout the museum’s regular opening hours and is included in the admission price.

SOFO is an umbrella which looks after three collections that comprise the military heritage of the region.
These archives and chattels are the property of three bodies:

the Trustees of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry,

the Trustees of the Oxfordshire Yeomanry and Soldiers of Oxfordshire Trust.

Oxfordshire’s military heritage ranges from the Civil War to the present day, covering the Napoleonic War, the Boer War and the two World Wars, in which every village was involved.

The archives and chattels are important tools in researching, explaining and understanding this history.

SOFO Museum is open Tuesday – Friday 10am to 5pm, Saturdays 11am to 5pm, and Sundays 2pm to 5pm. Changes to regular opening times are always added to the museum website.
For more information visit: https://www.sofo.org.uk/